The years that were taken can never be repaid.
The memories stolen can never be returned.But I had to move forward…for him, my son.Noah had spent years wondering what he could have done differently. Wondering what he’d done wrong to make Stacey leave. The heartache from her absence and the what-ifs of their past eventually turned to anger—and then disgust.It took years for him to move on, and once he did, his past came thundering back, revealing a secret.A secret that would forever change his future.Alena had waited for the chance to have more with Noah. He was an enigma, a man of mystery, yet she wasn’t quite ready to give up on him. She knew there was more to him than what he allowed those around him to see. She was drawn to his charm and his calm nature. With an uprooted past of her own, she craved a little stability more than anything. But when things between them finally begin to grow into more, their relationship is tested.Will it all be too much for Alena to handle?

PrologueNoah A Little Over Four Years Ago
“I just can’t do this anymore, Noah. This is not the life I want or where I want to be forever. I thought you wanted more too. More than this quiet town with no real hope of being somebody.” Stacey sat on the end of my bed, the sheet still wrapped around her naked body.
Of all the times to have this type of conversation, I never thought it would be now. She chose first thing in the morning when I was already late for work.
“So what are you saying?” I asked as I stood in the doorway, fisting my shirt in my hands. I was trying not to blow up, trying to remain the rational one in this relationship.
“I don’t want to be here, in Livingston, for the rest of my life. I want to go somewhere with greater opportunities. I feel like if I stay here, I’m giving up my dreams. I feel like I’m drowning.”
She stood from the bed and let the sheet fall to the floor. Stacey was a gorgeous woman—tall, fit, and almost angelic. She was also very selfish and spoiled. Everyone called her by first name until she finally forced her parents to change it to her middle name instead. “Jessie” was entirely too hick for her taste.
“Noah, you had to see this coming,” she said. And the lack of compassion in her voice only made my anger grow.
“I had to see this coming? Are you fucking serious right now?” I took a step toward her, and she quickly slipped her shirt on over her head. “I asked you to marry me, and now you’re fucking telling me you’re leaving?” I lifted my hand and gripped my hair, pulling at the ends. “So what the hell was last night? And again this morning? One last roll in the sack before you walk out on me?”
“Come with me,” she said with a hopeful expression.
“I can’t just pick up and walk away. I just got on track with where I want to be at the station. I have the ranch and my responsibilities to my family. Plus, this is my home. I don’t want to leave.”
“Then you’re choosing this place and all of them over us.” She actually had the nerve to look hurt and offended.
I stood in the center of the room, watching as she began grabbing items and tossing them in her bag. “I have to get out of here. I gave you the option to come with me, and you declined. So that is on you.”
Heat rose in my neck, and a swooshing sound filled my ears as I fought against my anger. “It’s on me, what the fuck? You’re truly something else, you know that? You throw this shit at me five minutes before my shift starts at the station and have the nerve to blame the end of us on me. You fucking did this.”
She ignored me as she finished dressing and gathered some more of her things. I stepped up behind her and grabbed the bag from her hands, making her stop what the hell she was doing and look at me.
Stacey spun around and gasped as I leaned in, bringing my face only inches from hers. “This is all on you. You’ve been planning this escape all along. Now you want to blame me.” I stepped back and held my arm out, pointing toward the door of my apartment. “Get out,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ll send your shit to your parents, because right now I can’t fucking look at you a minute longer.”
Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand. I gave a sarcastic chuckle as I shook my head. She had already pushed me past my breaking point, and I was through playing the nice guy. “Cut the tears, Stacey. You wanted this, you got it. Now get out. I’m not holding you back from your perfect life any longer.”
I waited until the door slammed before I caved and sat on the end of the bed. My clothes from last night were still tossed around the room. I had given her years of my life, thinking we had a future.
I guess her being younger and unsettled should have warned me off, but her vibrant attitude was what had attracted me from the start. Now I just felt like a dumbass for not seeing what others saw in her. She was a wild card, but I took a chance.
Never again.

This author has a talent for writing brilliant and powerful love novels where I can’t help but fall in love with her characters and their stories. I have waited for Noah’s book since we got Sawyer’s book and I will say this is was so worth it wait. We get laughs, tears, drama, angst and some really hot cowboy loving.Noah’s Journey is a fast read but it was wonderful and enjoyable. The prologue was hard and shaped the man Noah was today. For years Noah lived with the guilt that he did something wrong that made his girlfriend up and leave him. He lived his life with his heart closed off and not willing to offer any woman a chance to hurt him again. But he started to trust and open his heart with his friendship with Alena. With Alena he was willing to take a risk and see where things would go. With Alena he was willing to take a risk and see where things would go. Just when he lets his guard down, his ex-girlfriend comes back to town with a secret that will alter Noah and Alena’s life!!

Stacey, I wanted to throat punch. As soon as I read the first page, I knew she was a manipulative, cold hearted witch. She holds something over Noah’s head that makes him makes rash decisions. Alena on the other hand, I loved. This woman was the total package, classy, gorgeous, proud a confident (me I would have decked Stacey but I am not classy). She was very understanding with Noah, and I wished she would have been tougher at times. Alena knows that he has to deal with the secret that Stacey has revealed but Noah’s detachment puts a wedge in their relationship. She loved Noah and wanted what was best for him and did not want to add more stress to his already difficult time.

Noah is not perfect, he makes mistakes and he unintentionally hurts Alena’s. You can tell that Noah is confused and has a lot going in his life. He doesn’t realize the damage he is doing to his relationship with Alena and how he is hurting her until his brothers and family tell him. Noah is forced to try to repair the damage his actions have caused but is too late? Will Noah’s ex-girlfriend’s return cause him to lose the only woman that has ever truly loved him?

What I love the most is how this author creates stories and characters where they are not picture perfect. Each couple has a journey they have to take in order to find their happiness. The Epilogue was epic! I really loved it. When I got to that part my heart melted and I fist-pumped and shouted. I can’t wait to see what is next for this author.

C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn’t always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full blown Romance novel addict.

She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.